Nutrition

Well here it is, as promised, my very first loaf of bread baked in my new bread maker. It’s an organic rye and was positively delicious. Tomorrow I’m trying the organic multi-grain bread mix, here’s hoping it’s as good as this one.

Kitchen appliances are a figure competitors best friend so I’d like to introduce you to my two new best friends, Ms Braun Multiquick 5 & Ms Panasonic Bread Maker.

My Mum first bought me a Braun Multiquick years and years ago. It’s been a great addition to our kitchen but it’s time to upgrade and this is it’s new replacement. I’m sure we’re going to be very happy making all kinds of wonderful healthy snacks and meals together when I buy it.

The Panasonic Bread Maker on the other hand is a completely new addition to our kitchen. I’ve never owned one but my mother-in-law does and it’s the bomb. The reason I’ve done this is because I’m sick and tired of being limited to buying 100% organic bread and often can’t buy the exact type that I want. We’re not big bread eaters so we never finish a loaf off, instead we freeze it for toast.

But now we can buy organic bread mixes and create exactly what we want and smaller loaves. Perfect ending if you ask me. It’s yet another step towards being able to eat more clean whole organic foods. I’ll know exactly what goes into my bread and have greater choices available to me now. Who doesn’t love the smell of baking bread. I can’t wait to test drive it this weekend.

If I remember I’ll have to take a photo of them in action in the kitchen and then their final results. If you’re interested in seeing photos let me know by leaving me a comment and I’ll definitely do it for you.

So what are your favourite kitchen appliances and why?

My daily supplement regime has recently had a complete overhaul. I wanted to make sure I was taking what I needed when I needed for maximum health and fitness benefits.

Just like many other things in life I kind of got of track there for a little while with my supplement regime so I went back to the drawing board to make sure I was looking after myself properly. First up, I referred back to my genetic profile results as this was my core foundation for my supplement regime. Then I re-read all the information given to me for the supplement recommendations and their daily dosages.

Then secondly was my hormone health. That’s still on going but I knew I was doing everything right as far as that was concerned. Well I needed a little more consistency and self-discipline but that was it.

So I typed it all up and printed it out. One copy for home and one for my gym bag. I need this guide until it becomes habit and second nature at least. Here’s what it currently looks like:

So this is me. This is what I take and when I take it. It won’t always look like this, once I’m on top of my hormone health I’ll lose some supplements. I listen to the professionals around me and what they suggest I take and why. What I don’t do anymore is listen to anyone else because generally it’s just their opinion for what it’s worth. Everyone’s entitled to an opinion of course but I’m just selective as to which ones I listen to these days.

There’s no real right or wrong here, just what works and what doesn’t for me. By being more consistent and applying self-discipline with my daily supplement regime I’ve noticed a big improvement in my overall health and well being. Of course it’s also a combination of eating clean, training regularly, drinking water and supplementing daily but it’s thanks to this package that I’m feeling better and better every single day.

My hubby is a big fan of grass-fed beef. And after trying it for myself, I’d have to agree with him on this. As far as I’m concerned there’s a significant difference in their tastes, grass-fed beef is much more subtler where as grain-fed beef is much more stronger which isn’t to my personal liking at all. So grass-fed beef it is at our household.

Two of the essential fatty acids found in beef are the omega-6 and the omega-3 fatty acids. The recommended ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids should be less than 4:1. Grass-fed beef has a ratio of around 3:1, where as grain-fed beef can have ratios that exceed 20:1. Grass-fed products are rich in all the fats now proven to be health-enhancing, but low in the fats that have been linked to ill-health and disease. Like everything in life, good fats are good for you, in moderation of course.

I don’t like feedlots. Nor do I like my beef packed full of growth promotants and antibiotics. Currently Tasmania is the only state in our country that has banned the use of growth promotants in the cattle industry. Here’s hoping the rest of our country will catch up to them. Because not only is it better for the animals welfare but also our environment.

But since moving here last year sourcing grass fed beef has posed a little more challenging than expected. At first, I came across a local butcher that didn’t even know what their beef was being fed so that wasn’t a business I was interested in dealing with. Then secondly grass-fed beef’s availability has been sporadic and a little inconsistant compared to what we were used to down in Victoria Markets. But we didn’t give up looking. The weekend just gone we found a small country butcher a short drive away that does stock some grass-fed beef and at a very reasonable price, and I mean reasonable. It’s cheaper than supermarket bought grain-fed beef so you can’t argue with that now can you.

Something else we’ve encountered is that bulk buying is cheaper and much more practical in the long run. So in saying that we’re in the process of researching and buying a chest freezer for home so we can buy bulk cuts and freeze them without maxing out our kitchen freezer which is already stocked with frozen foods and pre-prepared meals.

So as always our quest for a happier and healthier life continues. Our motto, is never give up no matter how challenging or difficult it may seem.